CJ’s Top 10 Films of 2012

After the cinematic high that was 2011, 2012 naturally looked weaker. My top 5 consists of leftovers from 2011 (they only got a US release this year and therefore qualify) but 2012 was filled with plenty of highlights. Only a few films really felt like masterpieces to me but for the most part this year was consistently strong. At this time I’ve seen 94 films from this year, and while there’s still a large amount that I wish I could have seen before submitting this list, here are my 10 favourite films of 2012. (Special note: While I can’t include it since it comes out in 2013, Leviathan literally blows these films out of the water. Do yourself a favour and see it when it comes out.)

C.J. Prince’s Top 10 Films of 2012

#1 The Turin Horse

Bela Tarr’s final masterpiece, a mesmerizing and bleak look at the end of everything. You may feel beaten down watching it, but you’ll come out stronger at the end.Watch Trailer

#4 This is Not a Film

#5 The Deep Blue Sea

The most romantic film of the year with Rachel Weisz playing a woman whose love is so strong it becomes self-destructive.Watch Trailer

#6 The Raid: Redemption

This highly stylized head-trip of a film has a Midnight Madness feel to it and has cult classic written all over it. Maybe the most bizarre film of the year.The Raid: Redemption Review | Watch Trailer

#7 Barbara

Nina Hoss gives one of the year’s best performances as a doctor facing a serious moral dilemma in 1980s East Germany.Barbara Review | Watch Trailer

#8 The Color Wheel

Alex Ross Perry certifies himself as one of America’s most exciting new directors with this sibling road trip movie that goes against every expectation associated with the genre.Watch Trailer

#9 How To Survive A Plague

A moving documentary about the activist effort to get treatment for AIDS when most of society tried to ignore it. Anyone who doubts the effectiveness of activism needs to watch this.How To Survive A Plague Review | Watch Trailer

#10 Killer Joe

William Friedkin and Tracy Lett’s darkly comic tale about a trailer trash family and the assassin they hire keeps building the tension until it explodes in a disgusting, depraved and hilarious final act.Killer Joe Review | Watch Trailer